Bib and bottle holding device



March 17, 1953 H. DAUST BIB AND BOTTLE HOLDING DEVICE Filed April 25, 1951 INVENTOR, HERBERT musr A TTORNEYS Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BIB AND BOTTLE HOLDING DEVICE Herbert Daust, St. Louis, Mo.

Application April 25, 1951, Serial N0. 222,873

1 Claim.

This invention pertains to a bib and bottle holding device. Various types and kinds of bottle holders to facilitate infant feeding have been proposed, but none thereof coming to applicants attention has proved satisfactory for use in the feeding of very young infants. The reason is that such holders support the bottle in a relatively fixed position, and such that if the child loses contact with the nipple and moves his head or body, it is unable to again locate the nipple in order to resume feeding. The principal object of the present invention resides in the provision of a bottle holder which supports the bottle and couples the same in a novel and improved manner to the infant, such that the bottle is held and the nipple presented in a readily accessible position to the mouth, even though the child shifts or turns considerably during the feeding.

The invention consists of a bib portion having an inset collar and straps extending from each side of the collar that can be tied together at the back of the childs neck. The lower edge of the bib is desirably equipped with a plurality of receiving snaps, whose counterparts are attached to the forward edge of the supporting cushion structure of the bottle holding device. A zipper is fastened to and extends the length of one side of the cushion. It opens into an invertible pocket that positions in a stationary pocket secured to the interior of the cushion structure. A lightweight insulating material is used as a packing to surround and insulate the stationary pocket. Secured to the top of the cushion structure is an overlying bottle holding band or cover that holds and positions the childs bottle. It is lined with an insulating material that enfolds the entire length of the bottle keeping the contents at a relatively constant temperature throughout the feeding period.

Various materials may be employed for the construction of the bib, supporting cushion structure, overlying bottle holding cover, and pockets but it is preferable that plastic film material be used for the outer covering layer and the pocket liner, to facilitate cleaning.

This novel device permits the child to be fed with the absolute minimum of effort or supervision. With the bib of the device tied about the childs neck, the bottle held by the overlying holding cover is supported by the cushion structure in the proper feeding position. And because the back of the supporting cushion structure is padded extra heavily the overlying holding cover is given a natural downward tilt thereby maintaining an even flow of liquid from the bottle throughout the feeding.

Another advantage is realized by this new bib and bottle holding device by having the insulated pocket formed inside the supporting cushion structure. It retains the heat in a bottle that has been warmed prior to traveling with the infant. The pocket has an invertible lining member that may be withdrawn for quick and easy cleaning.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this description progresses and by reference to the drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the bib and bottle holding device with the dashed lines representing a bottle held in the proper feeding position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the bib and bottle holding device as taken along the plane indicated byline 2--2 of Fi 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the bib and bottle holding device as taken along the plane indicated by line 33 of Fig. 1, showing in broken lines the invertible lining member as withdrawn for cleanms;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the bib portion per se.

The novel bib and bottle holding device is constructed so that the bib portion 10 thereof can be attached to or detached from the supporting cushion structure ll thereby allowing the bib H) to be used separately when so desired. This separability feature is shown by the bib construction as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing. The bib I 0 has a recess I2 in the upper edge to accommodate the neck of the child. A border trimming I3 is sewed along the margin of the collar recess I2, down the shoulder portions l4 and sides l5 and along the straight bottom edge l6. That portion of the border trimming l3 sewn along the collar I2 is extended beyond the collar on each side to form two straps I! that are used to tie the bib l0 about the neck. Three snaps l8 secure the bib I9 to the supporting cushion structure I I. These snaps l8 are located one in the middle and one on each end of the straight bottom edge portion It. They accommodate their counterparts secured to the lower forward edge of the supporting cushion I I as seen in Fig. 2.

The supporting cushion structure H is packed with a lightweight insulating material I9, for example glass-wool, in such a manner that the back portion 20 is extra heavily padded. This method of packing gives the cushion Ii an approximate pearlike cross section as shown by a plane taken transversely through the cushion as illustrated by Fig. 2. It is this heavy packing at the rear 28 that gives a natural downward tilt to the overlying bottle holding cover 2| secured to the middle of the top covering ply of the cushion structure II.

The member 2 I consists of a broad band stitched at its ends to the covering ply of the cushion body so as to provide a sleeve for the reception ,and frictional retention of the nursing bottle. This band is desirably formed of two plies of material with an intervening layer of insulation 23. It is of sufiicient breadth so as to afford a covering that extends substantially from the bottom to the shoulder of the bottle, and the sleeve produced thereby is of tapering diameter with the larger end at the rear of the cushion body, so

as to facilitate insertion of the bottle from that end. The sleeve extends short of the thin forward margin of the cushion body and is adapted to embrace and hold the bottle snugly therein, with the nipple projecting over the bib portion but short of the neck recess. It will be understood that the infant normally lies on its back during the nursing period, and the assembly described herein rests upon the chest of the infant, with the nipple positioned close to the mouth. In this respect the present device distinguishes from former types of bottle holders which are placed under or at one side, and which can be pushed away or otherwise become separated from the child.

A zipper 24 provides a closure for an opening into a cavity 25 formed in the cushion body, said cavity having a lining member 26 stitched along its open end margins to the corresponding marginal parts of the body cavity.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A nursing device of the character described including a wedge-shaped base part comprising an envelope having a slit at one side thereof, means forming a pocket compartment within said envelope, said means comprising a sack-like member disposed within and secured to said envelope and a pocket liner of water resistant sheet material disposed within said member and marginally secured to said envelope only at said slit, closure means for said slit, fibrous insulating material filling the space within said envelope surrounding said pocket compartment, a

' bib-like flap extending from the relatively thinner marginal portion of said wedge-shaped base part, said flap having a recess in its outer edge and tie tapes extending therefrom for securement about the neck of an infant, and a bottle holding sleeve secured to the upper surface of said base part with the longitudinal axis of said sleeve aligned with the neck recess of said flap.

HERBERT DAUST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 162,793 Daust Apr. 10, 1951 784,914 Boyle Mar. 14, 1905 2,134,746 Allen Nov. 1, 1938 2,451,718 Corrao Oct. 19, 1948 2,475,923 Suick July 12, 1949 2,510,953 Brose et a1. July 13, 1950 2,526,121 Curry et a1. Oct. 17, 1950 2,541,002 Wells Feb. 6, 1951 

